Hip-Hop Duo GRITS Celebrate RIAA Platinum Certification

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Gotee Records recently celebrated the label’s first RIAA Platinum certification for the hip-hop duo GRITS‘ song “Ooh Ahh” that features TobyMac from the 2002 album, The Art of Translation. GRITS (an acronym for Grammatical Revolution in the Spirit) consists of Teron “Bonafide” Carter and Stacy “Coffee” Jones.

The song, which never had a music video or was a radio single, was used on the big screen in The Fast And The Furious: Toyko Drift and Big Momma’s House 2. It was also the theme song to the two seasons of MTV’s The Buried Life. Those placements in film & TV propelled the song in digital track sales to a RIAA Gold certification in 2014 and has continued to grow in streaming.

Formed in 1994, GRITS were the third artist signed to Gotee Records and released their debut album Mental Releases in 1995. While their first three albums established GRITS as underground icons, it was their breakthrough fourth album The Art Of Translation in 2002 that solidified their ascent as stars on the hip-hop horizon.

“Art of Translation was a seminal moment in independent hip-hop,” shares Joey Elwood, President of Gotee Records. “It brought together creative forces from all across the hip-hop world. They merged their faith with their art in a way that blurred the lines in a really good way. The songs are timeless, but ‘ Ahh’, was a standout for sure. The song is so widely recognized, globally and is multi-generational. Super proud of that moment in our history and will always consider it one of the big highlights in our 25 years.”

Over the course of their career, GRITS shared the stage with OutKast, Jay-Z, Nappy Roots, Ice Cube, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Goodie Mob, and Monica. They have a Billboard Video Award, three Dove Awards, two GRAMMY nominations and two RIAA certifications to their credit.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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